Brother Dennis Gunn teaches courses in secondary and middle school methods, social studies methods, and philosophy of education. His research interests include the foundations, methods, and history of religious education, the religious, spiritual, and moral formation of youth and young adults, and the philosophy of religious education and Catholic education, with particular emphasis on the thought of Bernard Lonergan. .See more on Br. Gunn

Christine Hardigree, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Office: 82 President StreetPhone: (914) 633-2380Email: chardigree@iona.eduDegrees: Ph.D., English Education, The University of Virginia
MA, Teaching, National-Louis University
BA, English and Spanish, The University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Christine Hardigree teaches courses in introductory and advanced adolescent literacy. Her research focuses on literacy and language instruction among linguistically diverse populations. Before entering academia, she was a teacher and administrator in secondary schools serving diverse students in Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.

Dr. Amanda Howerton-Fox teaches courses in introductory and advanced childhood and early childhood literacy. Her current line of research examines the kinds of knowledge that are most useful to language and literacy teachers and investigates how teacher preparation programs can help teachers to attain that knowledge. She is particularly interested in preparing teachers to work effectively with students whose languages or dialects have been historically undervalued by our nation’s schools, such as ELLs, deaf students who use American Sign Language, and speakers of non-standard dialects. Her other research interests include language and literacy learning, bilingual-bicultural education, and the linguistics of signed languages.See more on Dr. Howerton-Fox

Richard A. McMahon

Clinical Senior Lecturer Coordinator, Graduate School of EducationOffice: 82 President StreetPhone: (914) 633-2552Email: rmcmahon@iona.eduDegrees: MA, New York University
MS, College of New Rochelle
BA, Iona College, 1973

Professor Richard McMahon teaches all courses preparing students for special education certification, as well as multicultural and educational philosophy courses. He has more than 40 years of experience in the field of education. Having started his career in the classroom with students with special needs, Professor McMahon has served in all areas of school administration, in individual schools, and in related organizations. In these roles he has mentored countless student teachers, and maintained an active engagement in current and new teaching methods and strategies, having served in or as a member of a host of professional organizations, at the local and national level.See more on Professor McMahon

Sarah Noonan brings to her role as accreditation coordinator experience in publishing, program analysis and evaluation. While completing her graduate degree Sarah worked as a program and data analyst for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and its “Thrive by 25” youth development initiative. Through this experience she realized her interest in working within the arenas of higher education and the labor market, leading to her current position at Iona.

Catherine Salch

Liberty Partnership Program DirectorOffice: 82 President StreetPhone: (914) 633-2518Email: csalch@iona.eduDegrees: MS.Ed., School Leadership, Manhattan College
PD, Guidance and Counseling, Fordham University
MS, Special Education, College of New Rochelle
BS, Education/Sociology, SUNY New Paltz

Catherine Salch serves as director of the Iona College Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP). LPP is a New York State grant-funded program that provides services to schools and students that are in danger of failing. Interventions include direct academic instruction and tutoring, social and emotional support/counseling, college prep, as well as enrichment activities and trips. Iona College’s LPP works with schools in the Yonkers city school district.

Dr. Ellen Small places student teachers in classrooms in the surrounding school districts and provides them with supports to complete this last phase of their program requirement. She works closely with student teachers to ensure their success and the continued development of their pedagogy.See more on Dr. Small

Dr. Margaret Smith teaches courses in mathematics education. Her research examines how teachers plan and implement mathematically rich and engaging lessons. Her current research interests include mathematical problem solving, and cross national comparisons of mathematics teaching. She has worked on several research and development projects, including the Third International Mathematics and Science 1999 Video Study, Project 2061 and Lesson Lab. Dr. Smith is currently consulting on Lesson Lab’s Algebra Learning for All Project, examining ways ongoing professional development and collaboration, using video examples, can help teachers.

William Zimmerman

Supervisor of FieldworkOffice: 82 President StreetPhone: (914) 633-2479Email: wzimmerman@iona.eduDegrees: MA, Mathematics, New York University
BA, Mathematics, New York University

Professor William Zimmerman currently serves as the supervisor of fieldwork for undergraduate and graduate students, securing their classroom placements and formally observing them provide instruction to students. He also teaches math courses in conjunction with the teacher preparatory program with an emphasis on computational fluency. Professor Zimmerman has been an educator for 42 years.

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NCATE/CAEP Accreditation

Iona’s education programs are accredited under the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Standards through the CAEP Accreditation System. Iona will seek accreditation under the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Standards in 2022.

Student Success

Iona has provided me with a strong foundation as both a student and future educator. I am proud and confident to enter the workforce due to the committed and continuous support of the faculty and fellow Gaels, and the many opportunities Iona has provided me with.

Elizabeth Nash ’13, ’15MS

BA, Adolescence Education; MS, Education in Special Education and Literacy